"Inferno Genesis"
Those were the two words displayed on Levi's status window, then started fading away. He checked his status again but didn't find the unknown power.
He checked each of his other attributes, skills, and traits, but the power wasn't there. [Essence], the product of his One Focus trait, was still there. However, there wasn't a single mention of Inferno Genesis.
But the ocean of his soul still rippled with the might he now possessed. Closing his eyes, he tried the mana movement technique and chanted his will. Heat rose in his soul and then forced it out onto his body, trying to manifest in the material world.
Once he stopped the technique, his body returned to its normal state, without any side effects or loss of strength.
The game had no characters with this power. He knew most of where his skills and traits would lead to in the future if he leveled up. But having something so unknown was worthwhile in the grey and empty world of his.
The recent fight with the hydra gained him some experience. The stats didn't show numbers of how much he still had left, but if he had to guess, he was one-third of the way to reach C-rank. Once he reached C-rank, there was no way for him to reach a higher level.
This body of his only had the potential of reaching C-rank, which was good among most of the human population in Servania. But not the best and could be considered worse for what he would have to do in the future.
The game did not have any sort of mechanism or technique that helped anyone to break through their rank. After all, the ten characters the player could choose were blessed with S-rank potential. The only way that Levi knew of was-
'Getting The Ancient Crown.'
The Ancient Crown that he gave to Brian, the first arc's main antagonist, has the ability to temporarily take one's potential and level it up two times. That meant a C-rank would reach A-rank and a B-rank could reach S-rank. However, any S-rank didn't have use of that crown, because it wouldn't work on them.
S-rank was the highest rank one could reach. The crown, though powerful, failed to advance past the superior limit. That is why Levi needed that crown. He wouldn't reach S-rank, but it was still better than what he would have to cope with.
Taking it back then in the dungeon without Brian noticing would be easy, but he needed the villain to be strong. Levi knew the plot would never progress like how he knew. His presence and knowledge of the future itself had started changing the future, making him take second guesses about what he knew.
But the first arc's last battle was inevitable.
'The battle isn't for them to just win, but to experience what utter strength and prowess are. Cower in it and accept their weakness, strive to become so strong that they never would have to kneel and run for their lives.'
As Levi was thinking about that, the surrounding atmosphere changed. They reached the blue region after five hours. The air got even colder. The waves were high enough to knock down a boat with a single splash. Also, the mana around here was denser.
The air also was heavier, as if the gravity in this place tried chaining him down to the pit of the ocean. And because of that, the speed of wind slowed down, making the ship almost seem motionless.
Also, a strange smell, the smell of blood like an overpowering perfume, drifted near the ship. The ocean where the ship passed was mixed with blood. Green scales, broken and shining, shone under the moonlight with a large fang next to it.
Beneath the bloodied ocean was a large piece of stone, more like a cave, and the entrance gaping as if it had a mouth. Coral reefs surrounded the border of the enormous crater and also on the inside, like a bed of the monster that resided in it.
'So, that it's a den, but where is the owner?'
The green hydra was nowhere to be seen. The attack wasn't strong enough to kill it, or maybe some monster took the chance to kill it when the hydra was this vulnerable.
"That must be the green hydra's remains. The blood and remaining of your enemies, it's one ugly and satisfying thing to look at," Rika said as she stood on the edge of the dock. The way she talked sounded like a serial killer, and the psycho next to her didn't know how to respond.
The central eye also was there, next to Rika, and both were pulling each other with their claws.
'Do these two not get tired of each other at all?'
Rika was the first one to stop. Though she wanted to play more, she couldn't afford to do so. Because out of the three, only she firsthand had experienced how punishing this part of the ocean was. One mistake, a single second of distraction, and they could say goodbye to their already bullshit of a plan.
But right now, she was in her weakest state. Nighttime to her was like daylight to vampires. Once it started settling in completely, making their journey a lot more difficult, especially for her, who had no way of seeing anything across the ocean once the two moons were up in the sky.
Rika, being an intelligent creature, could use magic, but the small body of her couldn't hold much mana. And the only things she could do via magic were limited to flight.
All she could do now was draw another map. However, this time, the map wouldn't be destined to reach the dark region. They needed to take some stops and detours because some way or another, anything in the ocean would try to kill them.
Rika finished the drawing, and Levi put it inside the steering iron, hands guiding the helm. The night set in, darkening out everything, except some fishes with glowing fins, and the glimmer of moonlight on the water. Levi put on an extra coat as the chilly breeze of the ocean made it harder for them to stay outside.
Rika acted tough, though she shivered under her light feather, trying to hide the discomfort. Levi noticed her and tired eyes.
"Take some rest, Rika. We will keep a lookout. The wind is too cold for you."
Rika shook her head, straightening her posture and keeping her eyes straight, trying to follow the group of glowing fishes.
"Such a minor issue doesn't trouble a mighty bird like me."
Levi chuckled at her stubbornness and cupped Rika in his palms. The mana, coating his hands, was warm enough for her head to start bobbing, looking for a soft spot to sleep on, but the ego didn't want her tiredness to get the best of her.
"Stop this making-me-sleepy spell."
Levi didn't obey. He petted her head, and noticed the central eye's jealousy on him, but he ignored his companion for now. His focus needed to be on Rika, who needed to know that she was needed.
"Rika, we need you for tomorrow as well. Who is going to map the route or tell us about the danger ahead without you? And it is said that the mightiest of birds regain their spirit after a good night's sleep."
"Really?"
"Have I ever lied to you?"
Rika nodded, though it was a lie, a shameless one. But his effort to let her feel important soothed her heart, and she fell asleep on his palm.
Levi then took her down to one room and put her on the bed, too large for her, and headed back up to the dock.
The central eye, sitting on the ledge, felt its master's hand on its head.
"Never had I seen a demon get jealous until now."
[Being a demon, my emotions may not come out often, but that doesn't mean I am hollow to the core.]
Levi could only smile. If the central eye knew that he was hollow to the core, Levi wondered how the eye would react. Seeing the central eye's wing droop, he thought of something that he planned a long time ago and this would be the perfect time to reveal it.
"Will having a name make you happy?"
The central eye's single crimson eye widened as it turned to Levi, stoic and looking ahead at the ocean. He wasn't the type of joke as well.
The eye flew and stroked its ball-like body on Levi's cheek.
[There is no need for that, though if you want to, how can I deny your wishes? But why do you want to name me suddenly?]
"Just cause I want to. Also, the lesser eyes are getting their own names as well."
The thought of naming his minions came to him when he traveled to Barl with Rika. She had an identity and nobody called her "A parrot". And he, though he had no emotions, was ashamed to realize he never thought of giving them an identity of their own.
Rika was delighted to know she was getting an identity for its own and its lesser brothers and questioned how he was going to name 100 of them and even more to come.
Levi gazed at the central eye, surprised to see such determination in his eye. And it also couldn't hide its excitement to hear it. Its sole focus was on Levi's mouth and the name it was about to utter and imprint on this one in a lifetime moment.
"From now on, I will call you-"
[Master,... wait... the lesser eyes have spotted a beast, about 3km away.]
This atmosphere and the aura behind it were lost. Though the eye was curious and angry, the moment was gone. It still wanted to know its name without any interference with only it and Levi. Kind of like a marriage proposal.
Both of the lesser eyes were on the same spot and noticed the beast waiting for them. Unlike before, where the beast hid under the ocean, this time they were on the surface, with their fangs out, with a low growth, hungry for the ship.
The lesser eyes immediately started sending messages to the central eye as it sent them back to Levi.
[Master..it's not just one beast, but two. It's the green hydra, you blew off, hiding behind another one, a blue one, two times larger than the green.]
Levi activated his Hunter's eyes, but his vision was not enough to see the beasts waiting.
'So the defeated child ran off to cry for the mother's help.'
Levi thought of using some items, but he wanted to fight the hydra. Not to save it for later, but just for the sake of testing his powers against stronger opponents. However, there were risks, fighting all by himself.
Without any exchange of words or gazes, the central eye took off towards the monster to weaken it. Levi, armed with his bow, gazed ahead, waiting for his vision to catch on and see those beasts.
After five minutes, a towering figure, dark blue of the night and a shining white front part, with even whiter fangs, entered his view. Behind it was the green one, peeking only its head out, showing a pair of broken fangs with a grin.
Taking a deep breath of the cold air, Levi stretched his back, pulled an arrow, and started his usual chant, with the visualization of the spark, lighting his soul, making it the lantern for Inferno Genesis.
The power surged up in him, and the flames started forming around the tip of the arrow, going brighter, hotter, and denser.
The mother hydra also wasn't sitting idle. It could properly see the ship, as the bright light coming from it illuminated the dark water around it. The freak of nature opened its mouth, and a ball of water formed in front of it, getting bigger and bigger.
Even from far, the ball of water looked larger than the ship, and it was.
The ball then stopped getting bigger and spun around, like a propeller, and then it was shot towards Levi.
The arrow also left Levi's bow, going for the mother hydra. The water below where the arrow flew steamed and rippled, while the ball of water rotated, sucking in more water, making it bigger and deadly.
Within a second, the arrow and the ball of water clashed, but nothing happened. Levi saw the both touches, but there wasn't any reaction. The arrow didn't pierce nor did the ball gulp his attack whole.
The arrow fell down, and the water dispersed into the sea.
'Did the attacks just cancel out?'
Levi thought and immediately realized he spoke too fast.
The part of the ocean where the impact occurred rose up and up, going in all directions. At first, it was just a small wave, but soon its size was equal to a mountain.
'Shit.'
Levi ran towards the dock and moved the magic hands, and he took control of the ship, moving it away not just from a wave, but a tsunami he and the hydra created.